“This is a lot easier than I had expected.”

  Thanks to the experiment that I made when that stupid longbow, I confirmed that I could make other things with several parts and still enchant them as a single object. What I didn’t expect was that I still could control them if the parts were separated.

  Right now, I was controlling a small cart with a remote control that had a mana core in it, even though the control and the mana core were supposed to be part of the kart originally. With a simple pull of a lever, the original object was supposed to make the vehicle move and there was also a wheel attached to it, so I could change the direction of the cart.

  “I can use this to control a flying platform eventually… still, this really makes me think that it is similar to those remote control toys.”

  As I watched the cart move, I couldn’t help but wonder: did the energy from the mana cores work like radio waves back on Earth? It seemed possible. Radio waves could carry information wirelessly over a distance, and if the mana core emitted some sort of magical equivalent, it might function similarly. Still, I’d need more experiments to be sure.

  On Earth, a remote control sends audio waves or electromagnetic signals, modulated with specific frequencies to encode commands. These signals were received by the toy’s internal receiver, which translated them into mechanical actions. For instance, when one pushed a button or turned a lever, the control would generate an encoded signal that the car’s motor interpreted as move forward or turn left.

  If mana cores worked similarly, they might emit waves of magical energy that carried encoded information to enchanted objects. The spell matrix within the object could then decipher those signals and act accordingly. Perhaps by tuning the flow of mana through specific channels or frequencies, I could refine the control even further.

  The possibilities were endless. Could mana cores emit complex signals for multi-functional controls? Could they power larger constructs? I didn’t have all the answers yet, but I was determined to find them.

  “I guess if something like this is possible in this world, then programming should also be possible… It might deviate a bit too much from my original goal, though.”

  “Eee-hee-hee!”

  Alissandra was happily laughing while her basket was at the top of the mini cart. It looked like she understood that she was moving thanks to some sort of magic method and she found that amusing.

  Regardless, I didn’t know if I had a lifespan higher than humans, so perhaps trying to continue this research would be too grand of a goal to do alone. I was able to create new things faster thanks to my increased dexterity, but would that be enough to reach such goals? I could focus on the simplicity, but it would be a lot easier to just look for some people that I can trust or hire people to work for me and that was saying something since doing that wasn’t something truly easy to do.

  I considered once again learning golems, this time, they would have to learn how to do things over time. That was an even more ambitious goal than the previous one, since I never heard of anyone pulling that off, but I should be able to do it eventually. It was only a matter of how much time I could put on this as well.

  “I guess I would need to use all my parameters to the fullest to help with this… Dexterity helped in other unexpected aspects, so I am sure that the other parameters can do the same, I just have to learn how they can be of help as I keep improving them.”

  Name: Regulus Dawnshield

  To be able to confirm that, I would need to save enough experience to essentially double all the parameters all at once, but one at a time, that would make me confirm things with one hundred percent certainty. Still, this would take a while as well… probably a few months, even if I head into the labyrinth daily at least eight hours a day.

  “Well, no need to rush… if I can stay here until Alissandra turns ten, then I won’t mind. With the proper education, she will be able to fend for herself at that age and she will have the skills and knowledge to do so as well. As usual, let’s just focus on efficiency.”

  — —

  Around the time Regulus was working on that new labyrinth, a group of people were leaving a ship on the southern side of the Bastion Empire. There was a carriage waiting for them, so they quickly got inside and then they began to move toward home.

  “Ah, I will miss seeing the Aquarians… they were quite the sight for sore eyes.”

  “Hey, cut it out…”

  Among the disembarking passengers were Rayner, Remi, and Ulric. The three moved quickly toward a waiting carriage in order to return home. The twins had accompanied Rayner to the Skarnash Tribelands, but their return started earlier, once the Bastion Empire had taken control of all the towns in the region. However, Rayner, Remi, and Ulric had stayed behind to oversee the transition of power.

  They worked to organize how the empire would govern the conquered territory, ensuring that systems were in place. They also focused on fortifying the empire’s position, knowing that holding the Skarnash Tribelands was just as important as conquering it.

  The Aquarians had made it clear they would not aid in defending the land. Without their support, the empire’s grip on the territory was precarious. Their work in the Skarnash Tribelands was done, for now. But the repercussions of their efforts, and the vulnerabilities they left behind, would follow them back to the empire soon enough.

  Despite Remi’s words while they were still on duty, Rayner didn’t say or do anything. He just kept staring to the outside of the carriage with his arms crossed while showing a serious expression.

  “This will be one heck of a fun trip with our dad here with us.”

  “Hey…”

  “He isn’t listening. I went out with seven Aquarians. How many did you manage to catch?”

  “I am listening. I won’t say anything about what you say or do when you aren’t in the middle of your responsibilities. You will bear the burden of those results, but you shouldn’t act like this when others are around.”

  “So, is it fine to act like this when family is around?”

  “No, it isn’t. You are putting too many weird ideas on your younger siblings.”

  Ulric couldn’t help but frown, given that his brother escaped with only this much of a scolding. While both of them were already adults, he imagined that such a thing wouldn’t be enough to make them avoid that.

  Ulric realized that their father had become a man of very few words once he realized that the higher ups in the empire decided to leave him out of the loop of the most important steps on its plan of expansion. He never complained, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t have a few things to think about.

  ‘Father worked hard in the last fifteen years to regain the trust of most people, but it looks like the higher ups don’t think that is enough… it is easy for people to overthink things and then assume that the hard work of these 15 years could have been just an act for another betrayal.’

  Ulric didn’t think that their father would do such a thing, he also didn’t consider that bringing a half vampire back home could also be considered a real betrayal, but it seemed that he had some enemies that would make others think that was the case… enemies in the empire. That was very worrisome.